


The Best Christmas Sweater In The World

by galaxystiel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Baking, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Ugly Holiday Sweaters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 04:27:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8953642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxystiel/pseuds/galaxystiel
Summary: This is the year. Dean will eventually tell Castiel that he likes him. Oh, and also that his baking sucks.





	

“That’s everything,” Jess beamed as she looked at the table of treats spread out before them.

She and Dean had been baking all morning, getting everything ready for the Christmas party they were throwing that evening. Sam had mostly observed and sneaked leftovers whenever they weren’t watching. Naturally, they caught him, but it was harmless so they both pretended not to see.

“Not everything,” Sam reminded her, a smirk starting to spread across his face. “Charlie will probably bring her peppermint brownies, and Cas will no doubt surprise Dean with something festive.”

Dean groaned and shoved at his brother, his cheeks heating up. He wasn’t wrong. Every year for the last four years, their neighbour Castiel turned up with a plate of festive treats that he gifted to Dean. It was a sweet gesture, except for one thing. Castiel was possibly the world’s worst baker. Every year, his plate went untouched. But Dean, who may or may not have a teeny crush on the guy, would sneak some so it looked like people were enjoying them.

“Why don’t you just tell him, Dean?” Jess asked, not unkindly. “I’m sure he’d rather know.”

“Why don’t you tell him?” Dean snapped, before shooting an apologetic look at her. “Sorry, I know, I just … he looks at me with those big blue eyes and I’d feel awful.”

Sam snorted, shaking his head. “Pretty sure Benny broke a tooth on one of his cookies last year. He’s still bitter over it too. He’s a menace to baked goods, Dean.”

Dean pulled a face. “I know, I know. I’ll figure something out.”

As though he knew they were talking about him, a familiar knock at the door interrupted Dean from saying anything else. He knew it was Castiel, nobody else knocked that softly. He looked from Sam to Jess and then groaned, heading to let Castiel in.

“Wow,” he blurted, seeing the obnoxious Christmas sweater that Castiel was wearing. It was bright green, with a belt stitched across the front, and a pointy hood. The sleeves were long, striped with white and red, and there were golden bells stitched everywhere, creating a jingling sound with every movement. It was possibly the most annoying, hideous sweater that Dean had ever seen. “Uh, nice sweater, Cas.”

He felt less guilty at the lie when he saw the way Castiel’s face lit up. The guy was beaming just at the compliment.

“Thank you, Dean. I brought you a plate of cupcakes. I made them myself, they’re dark chocolate with a salted caramel filling.”

Dean forced a smile as he let Castiel in, taking the plate from him and setting it down in the kitchen. “They look great. Really, uh, tasty.”

“Try one!” Castiel gave Dean a warm smile, and Dean hid his grimace as he picked up one of the cupcakes, taking a huge bite.

He wasn’t sure how he hid the instant gagging from Castiel, but he just about managed it as he forced a grin in place. The salted caramel had congealed into a sticky substance that practically glued his teeth together, and there had clearly been a mix-up with the sugar in the cupcakes, because what he could taste was unmistakeably salt. Altogether, this might have been the worst thing that Dean had ever eaten in his life.

He forced himself to swallow the bite, clearing his throat as he wiped his mouth. “That was… amazing, as always, Cas,” he lied, turning away and grimacing, reaching for a glass so he could wash away the taste. “Do you want a drink? Coffee? Tea? Water?”

“Oh, thank you, but I should probably head back. I have a few things to take care of before the party tonight,” Castiel smiled and his gaze dropped to Dean’s lips just for a moment. “Will you… maybe save a dance for me tonight?”

Dean’s mouth went dry again, but this time it wasn’t from the salt. “I’d like that,” he admitted. “I’ll see you later, then, Cas.”

Once Castiel left, Dean groaned and hid his face in his hands. “I am the world’s worst person,” he lamented miserably as he heard Sam enter the room. “I deserve to burn in hell.”

“You do if you serve those cupcakes,” Sam replied, inspecting Dean’s half-eaten one. “Dean, Christ, you can’t keep lying to the guy just because you want to get in his pants. Sooner or later, he’s gonna find out and be really pissed. Cas is a nice guy, and he doesn’t deserve this.”

Dean pulled his hands away from his face to glare at his brother. “Screw you, Sammy,” he muttered, knowing that his brother was right. “Look, I’m just gonna get through tonight and if everything goes well, I’ll tell him before next Christmas.”

“What are you going to do about those? If you put them out, someone is going to forget and eat one.” Jessica nodded to the cupcakes.

Dean sighed and grabbed the tray, stalking out of the back door and dumping them in the almost-full trash can. “Problem solved,” he scowled. “If Cas asks, we ate them all before the party, got it? I’m going for a shower, I’m pretty sure I’ve got flour in my hair.”

He relaxed a little after the long, hot shower and began to dress for the party. He made a special effort, pulling on his favourite maroon shirt and a tight pair of jeans, even styling his hair so it spiked up a little at the front. He spent a few moments admiring himself in the mirror, before nodding his approval, joining Sam and Jess downstairs. They both scrubbed up well too, with Sam looking smart in a grey button-down and black slacks, and Jess wearing a red dress with white trim.

“Very festive,” Dean grinned. “Can I sit on Santa’s lap?”

“Dude!” Sam shoved him, but laughed good-naturedly.

The first guests started to arrive around seven, and Dean started up the music as he greeted Benny and Charlie, with Kevin and Garth, Jo and Anna joining shortly after. The atmosphere was relaxed and easy as more and more of their friends and family turned up. The drinks flowed, wine and beers passed around as everyone relaxed, chatting and dancing.

Dean moved around the room, catching up with everyone, but his eyes kept flickering to the door as he anticipated Castiel’s arrival. He’d promised a dance, after all, and he was looking forward to keeping that promise. Maybe this crush on Castiel would finally lead somewhere.

When Castiel arrived, Dean was deep in conversation with Benny. “Oh, yeah, the last time I saw Andrea she… Cas!” He greeted, beaming at him. “Excuse me, Benny, I gotta say hey to Cas.”

“Sure thing, brother. While you’re there, remind him I got a bill for my dental surgery with his name on it,” Benny muttered, disappearing into the crowd with a dark look in Castiel’s direction. Yeah, he was still mad.

“Hello, Dean,” Castiel shouted, trying to be heard over the music. “You look nice.”

Dean swallowed and let his eyes run over Castiel. “You do too. Wow, Cas.” It wasn’t a lie. Castiel had changed out of the monstrosity of a Christmas sweater and was now wearing a pale blue button down that really brought out his eyes, paired with grey slacks. He looked hot. “Can I get you a beer?”

“That would be nice,” Castiel admitted, licking his lips. Dean followed the movement with his eyes and then shook himself out of it, heading off to get the drink and promising to be back in just a moment.

He just got hold of the beer bottle when he heard Castiel enter the room behind him. “I thought I would help,” Castiel smiled. “Do you have more snack trays to bring out? I couldn’t see mine.”

Dean bit his lip, but when he turned around to face Castiel, he had a smile plastered in place. “Oh, we put yours out straight away, they were the first things to go. People must’ve really liked them. I might have stolen a few before the party even started though,” he gave an awkward laugh.

Castiel stared at him for a moment and then Dean wasn’t sure what happened, but Castiel’s lips were on his and a hand was cupping the back of his neck. Not one to turn down something he’d been secretly wishing for, he deepened the kiss, sweeping his tongue over Castiel’s lower lip and knotting his fingers into the soft, dark hair.

Castiel tasted amazing. Like chocolate and something else that Dean couldn’t identify but couldn’t get enough of. Wrapping his arm around Castiel’s waist, he turned them, pressing the lithe body back into the counter and slotting against him. The sound of shattering glass was what broke them apart, as the beer bottle Dean had grabbed for Castiel fell from its precarious position on the counter and shattered on the floor.

“Crap,” Dean muttered, bending down to clear up the mess, picking up the biggest shards of glass gingerly.

“Dean!” Sam yelled from the living room. “The tree lights have gone out, can you fix them?”

Castiel knelt, taking the broken glass from Dean. “I’ll clean this up. You go and help Sam. We can… continue this when you’re done.” He smiled mischievously and Dean found himself nodding in agreement, disappearing into the living room swiftly. The sooner this was done, the sooner he could go back to the kitchen and he and Cas could pick up where they left off.

One of the lights had blown, and it only took a few moments to find out which one so he could fix the issue. Dean laughed at the resounding cheer when the lights came back on, returning the Christmas glow to the party. He ducked back out, eager to return to Castiel, only to find the kitchen empty. The back door was open though, so he followed Castiel out into the snow, smiling at him widely.

“Hey, what are you doing out here? It’s freezing.”

Castiel didn’t reply, just stared down at his own hands, and Dean’s smile faded as he followed Castiel’s line of sight. His heart stopped as he saw Castiel holding one of his cupcakes and Dean coughed, awkwardly.

“Cas…”

“Don’t.” Castiel’s voice was shaky, but his eyes were cold as he looked up at Dean. His face was white, but his lips were still red and swollen from making out only a few moments earlier, and Dean couldn’t fathom how betrayed Castiel must be feeling right now. “Don’t lie to me again. Tell me the truth.”

“I didn’t want to hurt your feelings,” Dean admitted. “Because I really like you. I think you mixed up the salt and sugar in these, but … generally, you’re not the best baker. Benny broke his tooth on one of your cookies last year.”

Castiel’s face crumpled and his fists clenched. His humiliation was evident in every tense line of his body and even despite the tears brimming in Castiel’s eyes, Dean felt like the shittiest person in the world at that moment.

“I know I’m not good at baking,” Castiel’s breath hitched and he stopped speaking, trying to get a hold of himself. “My brothers have told me that for years. Do you know why I bake, Dean? Because it makes me happy. I usually just throw everything away, I know most of it isn’t edible. But I give things to you because you said you liked them. If you’d just told me the truth, I would have laughed it off. I can’t laugh off you lying to me. Knowing you’ve all been laughing at my expense.”

“That’s not fair and it’s not true,” Dean objected. “Sam and Jess told me to tell you the truth, but I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Castiel looked up at Dean, his expression desolate. “Yeah? What do you think I am now?” He asked, quietly. “I think I’m going to head home now.”

Dean reached for Castiel, but let his hand fall before it made contact. “Cas, please. I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry I lied to you. But it’s Christmas. At least stay for the party and have a drink.”

“I’d rather celebrate Christmas with my friends. You… are not my friend, Dean.” Castiel pushed past him, leaving through the front door. Dean followed him to the door, watching as Castiel got to the end of the street and buried his face in his hands, his shoulders wracking with sobs that Dean couldn’t hear, but could feel in his heart.

He spent the rest of the night locked in his room, knowing he deserved the ache in his chest, recognising that Castiel deserved a million times better than him.

When Dean awoke the next morning, he pulled on a robe and slumped on the couch, refusing to move or acknowledge anyone. It took Sam and Jess until lunchtime to tire of his moping, and from there it only took a few moments to wheedle it out of him. Both were understanding and even managed to hold back the ‘I told you so’ that they were clearly thinking in favour of trying to cheer him up.

“How do I make it right?” He mumbled, still refusing to move. “How do I get Cas to forgive me?”

Jess ran her hand through Dean’s hair affectionately. “I don’t know, sweetie, but I do know you’re not gonna find the answer on that couch.”

It took a while for Dean to summon the energy to move and then he showered and dressed, forcing himself to walk to Castiel’s house. The snowfall had been heavy overnight, his jeans getting soaked from the few inches covering the ground. He shivered, having forgotten to grab a jacket. Hopefully Castiel would take pity on him and let him inside.

Dean hesitated once he reached Castiel’s door. He couldn’t shake the overpowering guilt as he remembered the pain in Castiel’s eyes, knowing that he was responsible for putting it there. He rang the doorbell, wrapping his arms around himself to keep the cold at bay.

When Castiel answered, he took one look at Dean and tried to close the door, pursing his lips. He looked terrible, hair sticking up at all angles, dark circles under his eyes, wearing a ratty old t-shirt and baggy sweatpants that had clearly seen better days.

“Wait, please,” Dean begged. “All I’m asking is that you hear me out.”

Castiel wavered, and he let his hand slip from the door, eventually giving a curt nod. Relieved, Dean opened and closed his mouth a few times, wondering where to start.

“I’m sorry,” he croaked eventually. “I should never have lied to you. All I could think about was how much I liked you and how much I wanted to be with you. I thought telling you that I didn’t like your baking would ruin my chance with you. The irony being that _not_ telling you ruined what could have been something amazing.”

He didn’t dare look at Castiel, averting his eyes to the floor and keeping his arms securely folded against his chest. “I never laughed at you, Cas, not once. Nobody did. If you never forgive me, I can understand that. I don’t deserve it anyway. I hurt you and that’s not okay. But please don’t think everyone else was laughing behind your back because it isn’t true. They’re all your friends. I just want to know if there is anything I can do to make this right between us. That’s all.”

He glanced up just in time to see Castiel shake his head and close the door. Dejected, Dean’s shoulders slumped and he turned to leave.

“Way to go, Winchester. You really did it this time.” Dean muttered, resisting the urge to hit himself as he reached the gate.

The sound of the front door opening behind him again made Dean turn instinctively, his expression hopeful.

“Here,” Castiel held out the grotesque elf sweater from yesterday, bells jingling in his hand. “If you’re going to grovel on my doorstep, you need to stop yourself from getting hypothermia. And since you said you liked this sweater yesterday, I thought you could have it.”

The gesture surprised Dean, but he dutifully reached out to take the sweater gingerly. He forced himself to keep his expression neutral as he tugged it on, wondering if should tell Castiel how much he hated the sweater. It was a gesture of honesty, but Dean wasn’t sure if it would be too much right now. Deciding to take the plunge, he was caught off-guard by Castiel’s knowing smirk.

“It’s hideous, I know,” Castiel laughed. “But I like ugly sweaters. If you wear this for the rest of the day, we’ll talk.”

Dean’s face lit up as he adjusted the sweater. It was a little tight on him but nothing too noticeable. If wearing this for a whole day meant working this out with Castiel, he would do it without question.

“But… last night you said – Cas, I really hurt you, I know that. Do you really want to fix this?” Dean stammered, then almost punched himself in the face. Why was he trying to talk Castiel out of giving him another chance?

Castiel ran his hand through his hair, awkwardly. “I may have… overreacted, just a little. I was hurt that you lied to me, but mostly? Mostly I was mad at your timing, because you picked the night we finally kissed to get caught being an assbutt.” His finger poked Dean in the chest accusingly. “Kinda took the shine off what would have been a great kiss otherwise.”

Dean smiled at the floor, pleased. “A great kiss, huh?” He looked up, still smiling. “Well, if I ruined last night, we could always try again.”

“Oh yeah?” Castiel stepped forward, one hand splaying gently against Dean’s chest as he looked up at Dean through dark lashes.

“I think so,” Dean stepped closer too, cupping Castiel’s cheek gently and slowly leaning in. He was stopped by a cold finger on his lips, and his eyes opened in surprise.

“Good. We’ll try again tomorrow then. Let me know what Sam and Jess think of the sweater!” Castiel’s voice was filled with an undercurrent of laughter as he stepped back inside and promptly closed the door.

Dean stared after him, filled with awe, and vowing not to remove this sweater for the rest of the day, regardless of what anyone said about it. Including Sammy, who would no doubt make fun of him all evening.

Sure enough, the second he stepped through the door, Sam cackled at the sight of Dean, clad in the too-tight elf sweater and jingling his way through the kitchen.

“Nice, Dean. Really nice. That’s the ugliest sweater I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

Dean glanced down at himself and then up at his brother, but he smiled widely and shrugged. “Nah,” he said fondly, without the barest hint of a lie. “This is the best Christmas sweater in the world.”

**Author's Note:**

> [MY TUMBLR](http://blueeyedangel.co.vu)
> 
> Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays guys! <3


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